At the first hint of cool weather this past weekend, I made my first pot of gumbo of the season and shrimp corn and crab soup. I also made some chicken salad so I would have three options for lunch and dinner this week. It’s always great to set some aside to freeze in individual servings for easy meals on busy days in the weeks to come. The great thing with each of these dishes is you can make so many versions; chicken and sausage gumbo instead of seafood, add cream cheese and green onion to the chicken salad instead of mayo or make a thick, cream based shrimp corn and crab soup. While I like the rich flavor heavy cream adds, I opted to make a spicier, less heavy version with a tomato cream base and the addition of shrimp to the more traditional corn and crab soup. This was a quick dish that took about 45 minutes to make. I topped my soup with a some fresh savory microgreens from the farmers market for color, nutrients and spice. I also paired it with a nice glass of a white wine blend. Try it and share your thoughts.

Shrimp corn and crab soup

Ingredients:
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
2 cups fresh corn
5 cups of water
8oz lump crabmeat
1 can of diced spicy pepper and tomato no salt added
1 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk (2% or whole)
1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. coarse black pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1tbsp of flour or cornstarch (optional)
2 tbsp. fresh microgreens (optional garnish)

Directions:
1. Cut ends off of a small onion and cut in half. Peel off skin and slice each half into thin strips, then cut into small dice.
2. Wash and cut a bell pepper in half. Remove seeds and slice into thin strips before dicing.
3. Shuck corn by removing husk. Rinse off remaining stringy husks in water. Stand in a large bowl on the flattest end and cut down the length of the corn removing kernels and any liquid. When cutting the corn off the cob, aim for one fourth of the cob at a time.
4. Place corn, onion, bell pepper, water and the can of tomatoes in a pot over medium heat. Cover and let come to a boil.
5. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add seasonings, half and half and milk and stir before simmering for an additional 10 minutes.
7. Add shrimp and crabmeat and optional flour or cornstarch and stir. Let cook for 5 minutes on low heat and turn off heat.
8. Let steep for 10 minutes.
9. Serve and top with optional microgreens and enjoy.